Profile: Ruf excited people with his minor league numbers last year, but the list of successful major leaguers who took until age 26 to reach Double-A is nonexistent. He has slow hands and a slow body. Let somebody else bet on his eye-popping stats; the pedigree doesn't support him doing much of anything in the majors. (Jack Moore)

Profile: Ruf was a divisive player heading into 2013. He was coming off a breakout season that included a successful cup of coffee at the major league level. In the minors, he walked over 10% of the time and struck out under 20% of the time. He also displayed good power including 38 home runs at Double-A and another three in the majors. But he was an older prospect that struck out a ton in his small major league sample, which raised a red flag for many. With a larger 293 plate appearance sample in 2013, Ruf continued striking out over 30% of the time, but he showed enough power and plate discipline to manage a weighted offense that was 25% above league average. Ruf appears to be a poor man's Jack Cust -- he walks less frequently than Cust -- but the rest of the skill set (including bad defense) is present. Ruf may be a decent source of power and on-base percentage if carefully managed, especially if he rebounds against left-handed pitching as expected. His role with the Phillies is uncertain, but a handedness platoon with Ryan Howard seems possible. (Brad Johnson)

The Quick Opinion: Ruf was projected to be a sleeper by some and a dud by many, but he actually turned in a flawed performance in 2013 that should have matched everybody's expectations. Major league pitchers exploited his swing, yet he delivered enough power and patience to be over 10 runs above average at the plate. Unfortunately, poor defense and base running brought him back down to replacement level.

Profile: Darin Ruf was a late bloomer in terms of power but has displayed it at a better-than-league-average rate (.215 isolated slugging in 447 major league plate appearances), albeit in no more than a season’s worth of time. The 28-year-old right-handed batter probably strikes out too often (30.2% of the time so far) to be a regular, and there are no signs of improvement in his propensity to swing and miss. He’s really been no worse against righties in terms of results, but minor league numbers and indicators suggest that won’t last. All that puts him in a precarious place, obviously. In Philadelphia, he figures to be someone’s foil in left field or at first base, even if the club finds a way to unload Ryan Howard. (Although, in that scenario and in the short term, first base might be Ruf’s.) Until Maikel Franco arrives, at least, Ruf is likely the best Philly has for these jobs, so more than right-handed platoon mate’s playing time is likely. Still, he’s basically a $1 type or reserve in deep NL-only leagues, with just a touch of upside; it’s possible that he returns a profit if he lucks into some extra playing and goes on a hot streak. (Nicholas Minnix)

The Quick Opinion: Ruf, whose power blossomed late on the farm, has displayed a good bit of it in the bigs and, with unexpected PT and a hot streak, could be profitable. He strikes out too often in general and is a potentially greater liability against righties, though, so he’s basically a fringe NL-only commodity.

Profile: Darrin Ruf went from org guy to fringe prospect when he belted 38 Double-A homers in 2012. He followed that up with a strong rookie season in 2013, but his numbers have trended downward ever since. Ruf's 29 now, so we have a pretty good idea of what he is. He can hit left-handed pitching, and will hit a few bombs, but his lack of other skills render him a bench player. He strikes out a lot, can't run, and is limited to first base and left field defensively. And given his recent performance, his days as a bench player may very well be numbered. Ruf probably won't play enough to hit double-digit homers again, though anything's possible with the Phillies. Even if he does, he won't give you much else. (Chris Mitchell)

The Quick Opinion: Ruf might be worth spot starting against lefties in NL-only, but that's about it. He isn't someone to target in any format.